Name: João Victor Penha dos Santos
Type: MSc dissertation
Publication date: 22/05/2023
Advisor:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| Luciana Andressa Martins de Souza | Advisor * |
Examining board:
| Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| Cristiano dos Santos Rodrigues | External Examiner * |
| Luciana Andressa Martins de Souza | Advisor * |
| Marcelo Martins Vieira | Internal Examiner * |
Summary: "What is the face of Brazil`s National Congress?" This dissertation was developed with the aim
of answering this question, but above all, to echo the typical profile of elected representatives
in the country. Using race as the primary category of discussion, this dissertation is anchored
in recent data provided by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) during the 55th and 56th
legislatures (2015-2019; 2019-2023), which also categorize race/color as an element of
candidate information. Based on the literature on political recruitment, political elites, and
political professionalization, and using empirical data on federal deputies, the research
compared white, black, and brown deputies in both legislatures in terms of their social profiles
and political trajectories. As expected, it was found that black deputies were underrepresented
compared to white deputies; however, counterintuitively, there were few differences between
white and black deputies in terms of their social profiles and political trajectories. In terms of
social profile, both tend to have completed higher education, the majority are men, around 53
years old, and with a significant percentage having graduated in law. In terms of political
profile, both showed trajectories with experience in various positions and in the different levels
of the Brazilian federative system, showing that they are professionalized when they arrive at
the Chamber of Deputies. No significant differences were identified between the two
legislatures.
Keywords: Political Representation. Parliamentary Elites. Political Recruitment. Political
Professionalization.
